Trump to Meet With Democratic Senator of West Virginia to Discuss Energy Secretary Job

If Picked, Manchin’s Replacement Would Be Chosen by ‘Coal Baron Billionaire’ Democratic Governor

President-elect Donald Trump will meet with U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, to discuss the possibility of him becoming Secretary of Energy. Manchin is the second-most right-leaning Democrat in the Senate, and served as the governor of West Virginia.

Trump could endear himself with the oil and gas industry with a Manchin pick. Despite being a Democrat, Manchin opposes EPA regulation of greenhouse gases and is a strong proponent of the coal industry, which, coincidentally, is where much of his family’s money comes from.

“There is a lot of people on the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum that are going to die,” Manchin warned in 2014 of impending EPA power plant regulations. 

If Manchin becomes Secretary of Energy expect a lot more coal and gas, and a lot less renewable energy in America’s future.

The newly-elected Governor of West Virginia is also a Democrat, but he’s also a “coal baron billionaire,” as Forbes notes. Any replacement of Manchin should not be expected to be any better than Manchin himself.

While Manchin might be qualified to become Secretary of Energy, albeit a terrible choice for the planet, rumor has it Trump is also considering him for Secretary of State, a role for which he is entirely unsuited and unqualified.

 

Image by Senate Democrats via Flickr and a CC license